New Zealand student visa documents checklist

At a glance

The checklist

• Valid passport or certificate of identity — must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your intended departure date from New Zealand
• One acceptable passport-style photo (unless biometrics are captured at the visa application centre)
• Offer of place from an education provider approved by Immigration New Zealand, showing course, duration and fees
• Evidence that tuition fees have been paid, that you can pay them, or that you are exempt (tuition receipt preferred)
• Evidence of sufficient living funds from a genuine source — NZD $20,000 per year for tertiary study — via bank statements showing the last 3 months of transaction history, fixed-term deposit certificates held at least 3 months, or provident fund evidence
• Secured education loan sanction letter with security details, and/or scholarship award letter, where these fund your study
• Funds Transfer Scheme (FTS) account confirmation with ANZ Bank New Zealand, where Immigration New Zealand requires it
• Sponsor's sharing ID, or a completed Financial Undertaking form (INZ 1014) where a guarantor outside New Zealand supports you
• Chest X-ray certificate (required for Indian nationals staying more than 6 months; less than 3 months old at application)
• Full medical examination certificate from an INZ panel physician, required if you will stay more than 12 months
• Police clearance certificate(s) — required where your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer; must be less than 6 months old
• Declaration or evidence of travel and health insurance covering the start of your course until your visa expires, plus a return travel ticket or evidence of funds for onward travel, certified English translations of any non-English police or medical certificates, and written permission from a parent/guardian and the education provider if you are under 18 and intend to work

The three rules that decide a document

1. Consistency. Your name, date of birth and parents' names must match across passport, certificates and bank papers. A single spelling difference needs an affidavit and weeks.
2. Translation and certification. Anything not in the accepted language usually needs a certified translation, and "certified" has a specific meaning that varies by country.
3. Currency. Bank statements, medicals and police clearances all expire. A document valid when you gathered it may not be when you submit.

Assembling the file

• Start with the documents you do not control — transcripts from an old university, police clearances, attestations.
• Scan everything at the required resolution before you need it.
• Keep originals together; several routes ask to see them at biometrics or interview.
• Make one list of what has an expiry and when, and check it the week you submit.

The most common avoidable refusal in every route is a document that was not asked for being missing — people read the list as exhaustive. It is a minimum; an officer may ask for anything that supports your case.